On Tuesday 18 August 2026, the Rose Bay RSL sub-Branch marked the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, gathering with veterans, serving members and the wider community first at the Cenotaph in Martin Place and then for a commemorative luncheon in The Establishment Ballroom in the city. Just over 100 guests joined us for the luncheon.

On 18 August 1966, D Company, 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, was caught in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam, by a Viet Cong force many times its size. Fighting through torrential monsoon rain for almost four hours, the 108 Australians of D Company held their ground until reinforcements broke through. Eighteen Australians were killed and twenty-four wounded. It remains the most significant single action fought by Australian troops during the Vietnam War, and 18 August is now marked across the country each year as Vietnam Veterans’ Day.

Sixty years on, the men of Long Tan are still spoken of by name in RSL sub-Branches across Australia, and this year’s anniversary carried extra weight for that reason.

The day began at 11am at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, where members of the sub-Branch gathered to pay their respects. From there, guests moved on to The Establishment Ballroom for the commemorative luncheon.

We were honoured to be joined by our guest speaker, Air Vice Marshal Bob Treloar, AO (Ret’d), with Brigadier Vince Williams, CSC (Ret’d), Acting President of RSL NSW, also joining us as a distinguished guest.

Air Vice Marshal Treloar flew helicopters with No. 9 Squadron RAAF in South Vietnam. He shared his own reflections on his time in country with the room, from the realities of flying operations in Vietnam to what it meant to be part of that squadron. For the veterans present, hearing it told firsthand by someone who had lived it was one of the highlights of the afternoon.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, at the Cenotaph and at the luncheon, and to our speakers for giving their time so generously. Thank you also to The Establishment for hosting us, and to the sub-Branch volunteers who organised the day.

Most of all, thank you to our Vietnam veterans. Sixty years is a long time to carry a memory, and days like this exist so that the carrying is shared.

Lest we forget.